


every time i look into your eyes, i see it (you're all i need)

by afrokatara



Series: zk drabble december 2020 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Momtara and Dadko, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, ZK Drabble December 2020, teen titans au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28066545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrokatara/pseuds/afrokatara
Summary: Out of everyone, she enjoys being on patrol with Zuko the most. He’s lithe and graceful, delicate yet powerful. He fascinates her but then again, everything on Earth fascinates her.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Pre Katara/Zuko
Series: zk drabble december 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056035
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	every time i look into your eyes, i see it (you're all i need)

**Author's Note:**

> zk drabble december day 1: nightfall
> 
> i know i'm super late but i've been kinda struggling with writer's block and then boom _titans_ gives me all the inspiration i need. this is very, very loosely based off of _titans_ and dick and kory's dynamic.
> 
> the title is from [get you](https://open.spotify.com/track/7zFXmv6vqI4qOt4yGf3jYZ) by daniel caesar.
> 
> i hope you enjoy!!

Out of everyone, she enjoys being on patrol with Zuko the most. He’s lithe and graceful, delicate yet powerful. He fascinates her but then again, everything on Earth fascinates her. 

  
  


**_________________**

  
  


She watches Zuko and Toph from across the room. He sits in the armchair, Toph sitting on the armrest with her feet in his lap, and he reads to her.

  
  


Patrol starts in an hour and she and Zuko have to suit up in thirty minutes but he takes his time. As much as Toph likes to deny it, Katara knows she has a soft spot for Zuko. Toph never let any of them be affectionate with her, not even Sokka when she still had a crush on him. But she lets Zuko - maybe it’s because he’s rarely ever affectionate but she still lets him nonetheless. 

  
  


Toph slips fully into his lap and she rests her head on his chest. Katara takes in the scene in front of her and she can’t help but smile. She feels warm all over like she’s been wrapped up in a blanket or a tight embrace. 

  
  


He looks up and catches her eye, still reading the words of the book all the while. He glances back down at the girl in his lap and she must be sleeping - despite all her protests, Katara _knows_ all that extensive training with Aang tired Toph out - because he mouths, _You ready?_ and closes the book. She nods and takes a second to watch the setting sun before getting up from her spot on the couch and heading to her room to change. 

  
  


Before she reaches her door, though, she catches a glimpse of Zuko carrying Toph to her room.

**_________________**

He signals for her to crouch low when they land on the rooftop. He scans the perimeter, searching, waiting for any sign of danger. When he finds none, she lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. 

  
  


“Should we head back now?” she asks. He turns to look at her then. His eyes almost look silver in the pale moonlight, the wind ruffles his hair, and he shoots her one of his rare smiles and she swears her heart stops for a second. “Yeah,” he says, “let’s go home Katara.”

  
  


She takes a deep breath and collects herself.

  
  


“Race you?” she asks, a smile evident in her voice. 

  
  


“You’re on,” he smirks. And with that, they take off.

**_________________**

Katara stops him before they reach the tower. Her hand rests on his arm. It’s warm, even through his blue streaked suit. 

  
  


His brow furrows as he looks at her questioningly. 

  
  


“Are you okay, Zuko?” she asks, all traces of her previous playfulness gone. He looks startled at her question - like he’s surprised anyone would care or notice. His hand drifts to his left cheek - the one with the scar - almost mechanically, like he’s on autopilot, which does nothing to quell her worry. 

  
  


He clears his throat and runs the hand that was previously on his scar, through his hair. 

  
  


“Uh, yeah,” he answers almost distractedly, “why do you ask?”

  
  


“You look tired, Zuko, and you hardly eat with us anymore. Is everything okay?”

  
  


He shrugs her hand off his arm and says, “Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?” before pushing past her and heading into the building.

**_________________**

Katara knows she shouldn’t press for answers but she can’t help the part of her that’s worried about her friend’s wellbeing. Toph would call her nosy but as she makes her way down the hallway to Zuko’s room, she can’t bring herself to care. 

  
  


His door is open which comes as a surprise since she knows how much he values his alone time. 

  
  


_Although,_ she supposes, _no one else would be up this late anyway._

  
  


“You know we’re all here for you, right?” Katara leans on the doorframe and crosses her arms as Zuko shrugs a shirt on. His head snaps up and swivels to face Katara. He pauses for a second, regarding her for a moment before continuing to get ready for bed.

  
  


“It’s late, Katara,” he grunts. “I’m going to bed and you should too.”

  
  


Katara uncrosses her arms, moving from her spot on the doorframe and inches closer to him.

  
  


“You know I can’t do that, Zuko. Not on a night like this.” She nods towards the window where the silvery moon is full and shining. He settles on his bed. 

  
  


Zuko’s room is clean - _neat._ He’s the only one she doesn’t have to worry about to clean up his mess - the only one who bothers to help her with chores. He gives her a semblance of clarity in their already chaotic household and now, Katara hopes she can do the same for him.

  
  


He pats the empty space next to him and, despite her stubbornness before, she carefully makes her way across the room and sits next to him. 

  
  


He breathes out a longsuffering sigh and it’s like everything he kept hidden under that carefully crafted mask rushes to the surface. She’d pointed out that he looked tired before but now, up close, she can see the dark circles under his eyes more prominently. His face looks gaunt and he’s paler than usual. He doesn’t look at her - not yet, anyway - but when he does, her heart feels like it’s breaking.

  
  


His golden eyes glisten with unshed tears and he looks so _vulnerable -_ so _broken._

  
  


“Well, uh,” Zuko starts with a shuddering breath, “I found out my father got out of prison a week ago and it’s really taken its toll on me, I guess.” He lets out a short, humorless laugh. She gestures for him to keep going with a slight nod.

  
  


“H-he’s the one who did _this”_ \- he gestures to the left side of his face - “to me.” He looks away from her as he says it, hanging his head low so his hair covers his face.

  
  


She silently gapes at him and he must take her silence as judgment because he says, “I know, I’m pathetic, right?”

  
  


Katara thinks back to all their patrols and training sessions - of any moment, really, where she’d seen him fight. When he’d help her with chores; when he’d helped her keep their rag-tag family together. 

  
  


He was a strong leader, a brilliant fighter, the only person who _cared_ \- anything _but_ pathetic. 

  
  


_“Oh,_ Zuko,” she says and she draws him into a tight hug. She can feel his warmth as he buries his face in the crook of her neck. She knows there are tearstains on her nightshirt but she can’t bring herself to care.

  
  


They sit like that for a while, in each other’s arms and she savors every bit of it.

  
  
He detaches himself eventually and with a quiet, _Thank you, Katara,_ she slips out of his room.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm really sorry if anything seemed awkward or out of place. i don't have much experience with writing lolz.
> 
> i'm on [tumblr](https://zuko-thee-stallion.tumblr.com/) if you have any questions or if you just wanna say hi :D
> 
> (feedback, comments, and kudos are always welcome!!)


End file.
